Thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) as urethanic thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), since having good elasticity and being excellent in abrasion resistance, mechanical strength, chemical resistance and the like, are used as materials of belt products, tubes, hoses and other various types of molded articles.
However, molded articles formed from thermoplastic polyurethanes, if used for a long time in the state of being continuously or intermittently subjected to a large load, come to be damaged and broken in some cases. For example, if belt products formed from thermoplastic polyurethanes are used for a long time, belt members and the like abrade and crack in some cases.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-349804 discloses a blend containing a thermoplastic polyurethane and an ethylene-propylene rubber (EPM) and/or a modified ethylene-propylene rubber (modified EPM) in a proportion of the former/the latter (in weight ratio)=3/1 to 999/1. However, molded articles using the blend, if used for a long time under a heavy load state, cannot always be said to have sufficient durability, particularly, sufficient bending fatigue resistance.